Tandy Chief Firmly In Control

The split-up of Tandy Corp. will leave holes in top management, but Chairman John V. Roach -- who said he engineered the overhaul -- will remain firmly in control, analysts said this week.

``I think this is a pre-emptive move,`` said Lise J. Buyer, a vice president of the Baltimore investment firm T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. ``I think boardrooms all across the country have been a little snarly at non- performing assets or management sitting on top of non-performing assets.``

Boards at corporations as diverse as General Motors Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. in the past 15 months have ousted top executives when they felt the companies were losing touch with their basic businesses.

Tandy`s profits have fallen for three straight years, amid sluggish sales at its flagship 7,000-store Radio Shack chain and other electronics retailing enterprises.

Tandy`s board of directors on Sunday approved a plan promoted by Roach that will split the company into retailing and manufacturing concerns. About 100 unprofitable electronics stores also will be closed.

Tandy`s stock rose about $1 a share in early trading, upon news of the overhaul. But Moody`s Investors Service Inc. said on Monday it planned to review and possibly lower its rating of about $600 million of Tandy`s debt, because of the restructuring.